When Kevin Collins and his family moved to Kingsport because of a job transfer, they decided to bring a little bit of their home state of Missouri with them. Thus begins the story of Ozark Mountains Brewing Supplies on Broad Street in Downtown Kingsport.

Owner Kevin Collins grew up in West Plains, Mo., located, as he describes it, right in the middle of Missouri on the border of Arkansas. Collins felt like there was a market there for a brewing supply store and the original Ozark Mountains Brewing Supplies was opened in West Plains in July 2010.

Collins had already moved away from the area due to his job, but was in close enough proximity to manage the store, along with his father, who had recently retired and offered his assistance. Not long after the store was opened, Collins was transferred and made the decision to close the West Plains store and bring it with him to Kingsport.

The Collins, Kevin and Louise, visited Downtown Kingsport and liked the feel and layout of the downtown area for their business.

“We felt like there were limited resources for brewing supplies so we decided to try our business here. We started looking at buildings downtown and contacted John and Angela Vachon of Urban Synergy,” Kevin Collins said.

Ozark Mountains Brewing Supplies opened in Kingsport in May 2012 and serves as a one-stop shop where all the hardware and supplies for home-brewed beer and wine can be purchased. Along with all the supplies, Collins offers his own experience from 10-plus-years of brewing and is always happy to answer customer questions on the home process from beginning to end.

“We were anxious in the beginning, how the business would do, but have been pleasantly surprised each month and plan on a long-term stay in Kingsport. We have surpassed our initial expectations,” said Collins.

The average cost to get started in beer brewing is $150. To produce wine, the average is $150 to $200 to purchase the initial hardware and supplies.

Every second Saturday of the month is Home Brew Day at Ozark Mountains. Collins sets up a tent behind his store location and provides a hands-on demonstration on how to prepare and start the beer-brewing process. Anyone is welcome to stop by and watch the process and ask questions throughout the demonstration.

Ozark Mountains is a family business as Collins, with the assistance of his father, ran the first business, and now his son works in the Kingsport store throughout the day, along with his wife, Louise.

A frequent customer, Lucas Hobbs, said, “Kevin and his store are a great asset to Kingsport and the entire Tri-Cities area. They offer a great, and reasonably priced, inventory of equipment and supplies for beer-making hobbyists, who can pick up items quickly, without waiting for shipments from online stores. Moreover, he is very knowledgeable about the hobby, and is a good resource for home brewers.”

The store is located on 217 Broad Street, Suite 112, in Downtown Kingsport. Look for the stand-up sign on the sidewalk. For more information, go to ozarkmountainsbrewingsupplies.com, call 423-229-7000 or email ombsllc@gmail.com. Store hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m., Sunday.